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Bundesliga preview and tips: League leaders Borussia Dortmund look to pile pressure on Bayern Munich

With Bayern Munich faltering, the Bundesliga title race is hotting up, and Tipstrr football pundit Sergiu Baltuta assesses Borussia Dortmund’s prospects of remaining in the driving seat this weekend.

Dortmund's Friday night visit to Bochum gives them the perfect opportunity to extend their one-point advantage, and put pressure on Bayern Munich to get a result from their home game against Hertha Berlin on Sunday. 

Dortmund won their first 10 games of 2023 in all competitions, a streak that ended at the beginning of March when a 0-2 loss away against Chelsea saw them eliminated from the Champions League.

That defeat precipitated a slump that saw Die Schwarzgelben win just one game in five, a run that included defeats against Bayern in Der Klassiker (2-4) and against Leipzig in the German Cup, while they only managed disappointing draws against Schalke and Stuttgart. 

The dramatic 3-3 draw with Stuttgart was a bitter blow as Dortmund first squandered a 2-0 advantage, then regained the lead in stoppage time, only to concede again in the dying seconds.

However, they bounced back in style to thump Frankfurt 4-0 at home last week, a result that combined with Bayern's surprising 1-3 loss at Mainz to push them into top spot in the Bundesliga table.

Suggested bet: Borussia Dortmund -1.5 Asian handicap

Dortmund will now try to put an end to a series of five away games without a win to increase, at least temporarily, their advantage over Bayern. Notably  they have not been on top of the Bundesliga after 29 rounds since 2012, when they managed to win their last title under Jurgen Klopp.

After winning back-to-back games against Koln (2-0) and RB Leipzig (1-0), the recent international break came at a bad time for VfL Bochum, who have not managed to win any of their four subsequent games.
Away 1-1 draws at Frankfurt and Union Berlin earned them their current two-point cushion above the relegation zone, but the danger signs are there by the manner of their home defeats at the hands of Stuttgart (2-3) and especially in their 1-5 loss to Wolfsburg.
Dortmund have been prolific in front of goal since the turn of the year, boasting the best attack in 2023 with 41 goals so far. Young Dutch striker Donyell Malen has found his shooting boots recently, bagging four goals in the last three games, and Bochum's defence will be hard pushed to prevent him adding to that tally on Friday night.
Suggested bet: Donyell Malen to score at any time

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